40 Bosnian and Herzegovinian Mushafs by Professor Ćazim Hadžimejlić

Yunus Emre Institute London presents a new and fascinating talk as part of the Arts & Culture Lecture series with Professor Ćazim Hadžimejlić on his noted book “40 Bosnian and Herzegovinian Mushafs” on Thursday, 12th of January at 7 PM.   

Join us at Yunus Emre Institute London as the author, Professor Ćazim Hadžimejlić showcases centuries-old mushafs, handwritten copies of the Islamic holy book, the Quran, along with several other printed versions.   

Following the event, traditional Turkish refreshments will be served.   

For more information on the event, please visit our website: https://yeelondon.org.uk/ or email us at londra@yee.org.tr.   

About the Book: 

Written words have always had a special place in Islam, and the Holy Book, The Qur’an, has always been an endless source of inspiration for artists. The art of decorating the mushaf i.e., the Qur’an manuscripts arose from a love for God’s word, and examples of it can be found all over the world, that is, wherever Islamic culture and civilization have spread. 

Numerous institutions, libraries, and museums around the world house beautifully decorated mushafs. Bosnia and Herzegovina inherits the tradition of copying and decorating the mushafs, which is testified by manuscripts in domestic and foreign collections. Mushaf as a book has a central place in the Islamic civilization and is considered as the best representative of the book arts. 

This special book co-written by Ćazim Hadžimejlić and Haris Dervisevic, presents the preserved treasure, the art of decorating the mushaf, through the most beautiful mushafs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 40 mushafs that are represented in this special monograph are selected as a result of detailed work and based on their cultural, historical and artistic values. Each manuscript has been carefully aesthetically, codicologically, and palaeographically processed 

This bilingual monograph, in Bosnian and English, has been substantiated by rich literature, first class sources, and numerous photographs to introduce the masterpieces of the arts of the book in the Islamic world to its readers. The scientific monograph, which is the result of many years of dedicated work and research and includes both public and private collections, brings an immensely important work to light. 

About the Author:   

Professor Dr Ćazim Hadžimejlić is a lecturer in Conservation and Restoration, Book Arts and Calligraphy at the Department of Conservation and Restoration of the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Sarajevo.    

Throughout his studies, he has specialised in the fields of book arts including bookbinding and book restoration and conservation at Marmara University and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, where he was also a lecturer at the Department of Book Arts, Conservation and Restoration, and at IRCICA (Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture). He has also specialised in Talik and Rika Calligraphy styles under the supervision of Professor Dr Ali Alparslan, and in Sülüs / Thuluth and Nesih /Naskh Calligraphy styles under the supervision of master calligrapher Hasan Çelebi. 

Professor Hadžimejlić is also a lecturer in Calligraphy at the Department of Arabic language and Literature of the University of Zenica. Professor Hadžimejlić has held solo exhibitions, participated in collective exhibitions worldwide and given talks at numerous international conferences where he has presented academic articles on book arts.